Illusion apparatus.



PATENTED MAR. 19,1907.

A.- P. BIONDI.

ILLUSION APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MA'R. 1; 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANGELO F. BIONDI, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ILLUSION APPARATUS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. March 19, 1907.

Application filed March 1, 1906. Serial No. 303,590-

of New Yorkand State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Illusion Apparatus, of which thefollowing is aspecification.

This invention relates to anillusion apparatus of the characterdisclosed bymy prior application, Serial No. 270,810, filed July 22,1905, wherein a suitable vehicle-such as .a car, carriage, or likestructurefor the ac commodation of passengers is used in connection withscenery adapted to have traveling motion relative tothe vehicle for thepurpose of giving to the occupants of said vehicle the impressionoftraveling through rural scenes or through different localities,according to the nature of the scenery employed.

.n this invention I employ means for blow.- ing or forcing air into thewindows or doors of or against the aforesaid vehicle for the purpose ofstill further increasing the impressionof the occupants that the vehicleis in motion.

My apparatus alsoprovides novel'means whereby scenery-panels of thedesired-nature may be readily supplied to either of a plurality ofmovable carriers, such panels being moved alongside of the car andthereafter discharged automatically from the carrier or carriers, so asto be returned to the place from whence the panels are sup lied to thecarriers, whereby the character 0 the scenery in view from the car maybe varied by changin the panels.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a cross-section, partly in elevation,representing an illusion apparatus constructed in accordance with theinvention. Fig. 2 is a view of a car, partly in side elevation andpartly in section. Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing one of thescenery-carriers, certain scenery-panels thereon, means for propelling aplurality of scenery-carriers at difierent rates of speed, and means forreturning the scenery-panels to the starting-point. Fig. 4 is a detailview in elevation of a number of scenery-carriers and the driving meanstherefor.

As shown by Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, I employ a vehicle, such as acar A, the same being of usual or any preferred construction.

Said car is practically stationary, except that means are provided forgiving a vibrating motion thereto for the purpose ofcreating theimpression onthe occupants thatthe car For this purposethe wheels of isin motion. engage with rollers B, which are suitably mounted inappropriate bearings, so as to rotate therein, and'said rollers areadapted to be driven by a driving-belt C, thelatter being driven fromany suitable source of power, such as a-line-shaft. The car-wheels aengage frictionally with the rollers '13 for the purpose of driving saidwheels, and thus communicating the jarring motion to the.

car, although it will be understood the car is not driven endwise,because the wheels engagewiththe rollers in such a way asto prevent thecar from having traveling motion.

"The rollers B support the car in an, elevated position in order thatthe passengers or occupants may-have convenient access to the carfrom asuitable platform. As shown, the car is provided with an entrance ordoor a, a number of windows a and seats a for the accommodation of thepassengers.

One of the important features of my invention, as hereinbeforeindicated, is the employment of means for directing a'blast of airtoward or against the vehicle A, and in the embodiment of the inventionshown by the drawings this object is accomplished'by the employment ofair passages or ductsD, one of which is shown by dotted lines adjacentto each of the windows a Each duct orpassage is shown as extendingvertically through a side wall ofthe car, and that part of the duct orpassage adjacent to the window'has an opening or slot (1, (see Fig. 1,)which faces toward the window for the purpose of directing the blast orcurrent of air across said window or into the window, whereby the air is;blown against the occupants of the seat a adjacent to the window.

Any suitable means may be provided for compressing the air anddistributing the same to the ducts D; but, as shown, I have provided thefloor a of the car with a main E, and from this main extends the branchmains 6, (indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2,) whereby the airis supplied from the .main E, through the mains e, to the upright ductsD. It is evident that instead of'forming the mains, passages, and ductsin the walls of the car I may employ an equivalent construction, such aspipes, properly installed in the floor and side walls of the vehiclefThe means for compressing or forcing the air may consist of anymechanism suitable for the purpose; but, as shown, I employ a blower F,of the rotary type. Said blower is inclosed within a casingf, which issuspended from the under side of the car-floor, and from this casingleads a wind-trunk f, having communication with the distributingmain E.The blower-shaft g is provided with a pulley 9, around which passes adrivingbelt G, said belt also fitting the pulley g on a driving-shaft G.This driving-shaft G is shown by Figs. 1 and 2 as having pulleys g, thelatter being of less size than pulley 9 for the purpose of driving thebelts C, which give rotary motion to the rollers B.

My illusion apparatus also contemplates the employment of moving sceneryadjacent to the car or vehicle A. As shown by Fig. 1 of the drawings,the movable scenery is arranged on the respective sides of the car A;but it is evident that the scenery maybe used on one side only of thecar. The scenery is supported and operated by suitable carriers, hereinshown as endless belts H, each belt being long enough to extendlengthwise of the car or a train of cars and to extend into suitablewings (not shown) or other sta e appliances, whereby the end portions ofeach endless carrier H will be concealed from the view of the occupantsof the car A. As this concealment of the end portions of the carriers isan obvious expedient which may be resorted to by the skilledconstructor, I have not considered it necessary to indicate the meansfor so concealing the ends of the carrier. Each carrier H runs oversuitable idle rolls h h, the rolls it being disposed in the samehorizontal plane in order to direct that portion of the carrier whichmoves the scenery within the field of view'from the car H in ahorizontal path.

The loading portion of the endless carrier H runs over the pulleys 7b,which are arranged one above the other in the manner shown by Fig. 3 inorder to guide or direct said loading portion of the endless carrier inan inclined path, substantially as indicated by the reference characterH in Fig. 3. The carrier runs around an idle roller k at one end, and atits other end said carrier fits on a drivingpulley i, the latter beingloosely mounted on a shaft I. (See Fig. 4.) The pulley i is pro videdwith or made integral with another pulley 'i, so that. the two pulleys i'L are adapted for simultaneous rotation on the shaft I, and around thepulley 1', fits a drivingbelt J, the latter being driven by a pulley j,which is fast with a main shaft J.

As shown by Fig. 4, the scenery on one side of the car is adapted to becarriedv by a number of endless belts, and these belts are drivenindividually by the belts J from pulleys j on a common main shaft J. Thepulleys "i 11, associated with each endless scenerycarrier H, are allpractically of uniform size but the pulleys j on the main shaft J" areof different sizes, the same being shown as increasing in diameter fromone end of the shaft J to the end thereof. This construction andarrangement of parts enables the belts J to be driven at differentspeeds by the pulleys j, and hence the endless scenerycarriers H will bepropelled at different lineal speeds. It is intended that thescenerycarriers H next to the car shall be driven at fast speed, thenext scenery-carrier at somewhat slower speed, and so on throughout theseries of carriers employed, the carrier which is most remote to the carbeing driven at the slowest speed.

As shown by Fig. 3, the main shaf t J, the pulleys thereon, and theseries of drivingbelts J all lie within the upper and lower leads of theendless scencry-carriers I'I, thus disposing the means for driving thescenerycarriers entirely out of the way Below the scenery-carriers is achute or runway K, the same consisting of an inclined floor whichextends the full length of the apparatus. The high end of this runway orchute is below the idle roller 7L2 of the seencry-carriers, while thelow end of said runway extends below and be yond the loading portion llof each scenerycarrier. The runway or chute is thus adapted to receivethe scenery-panels as they are discharged from one end of thescenerycarriers and to permit said seencry-panels to return by gravityto the other end of the scenery-carriers below the loading portion. Hthereof. Although I prefer to employ the inclined runway or chute forthe purpose of returning the scenery-panels to the. loading point, itwill be understood that I. may employ any equivalent construction forthis purpose. Each endless scenerycarrier is adapted to be supplied witha plurality of scenerypanels. It is preferred to connect thescenery-panels detachably to each endless carrier; but in the case ofsome of the carriers the scenery-panels may be attached fixedly to the.propercarriers. Each scenerypanel L is provided with a base In, and thisbase is adapted to bev interlocked detachably with the carrier. In myprior application .I. have shown one construction for interlocking thepanel-base with the carrier, said base being provided with a pluralityof apertures adapted to receive correspondingly-placed projections onthe carrier, said projections being indicated at 0 in Fig. 4-. Thescenerycarrier travels around pulleys on shafts the axes of which arehorizontal. This arrangement allows the endless belts fornling the thatis to say, the face of the belt on which the scenery-panel is depositedis horizontal.

The base of each scenery-panel restson and bears firmly upon thehorizontallyearranged belts,-andsaid panel is locked to the belt orcarrier by the projections thereon fitting into the apertures of;the;panelbase.

The operation of my invention is as follows: The shaft J and the shaft Gare driven by a motor or from any suitable source of power. The shaft Gdrives the belts C G, so as to rotate the car-wheels a and the blower F,and thus giving the jarring motion to the car and the required motion tothe blower, the latter operating to force air through the pipes E e andthe ducts D. The shaft J operates the belts J at different speeds, so asto drive the pulleys i tfland thereby propel the scenery-carriers H atdifferent speeds. Certain of the scenery-carriers may havescenery-panels connected in a substantially permanent manner thereto;but other scenery-carriers are intended to be supplied withscenery-panels which may represent different landscapesas, for instance,rural scenes, villages, streets, marine views, &c. The panels which areintended to be connected detachably to the carriers II are placed bysuitable attendants on the inclined portions H of said carriers. It isevident that one or more attendants stationed near the pulley i may takethe scenery-panels and place them by hand on the inclined portions H ofthe proper carriers, and said panels will have interlocking engagementwith said carriers, so as to be moved across the field of view from thevehicle A. As the panels are moved by the carriers toward the pulleys hthe panels will travel around said pulleys for a certain distance andautomatically uncouple or disengage themselves from the projections ofthe carriers. The panels are thus adapted to drop upon the inclinedchute or runway K, whereby the panels will slide by gravity toward theplace where they are to be loaded upon the scenerycarriers. My inventionenables the scenery on each of the scenerycarriers to be changed atpleasure, and the same scenery-panels may be used repeatedly or otherpanels representing different scenes may be substituted for those whichhave passed in view of the car A.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus of the character described, a vehicle or car, amovable scenerycarrier adjacent to said car or vehicle, and a pluralityof successive disconnected scenerypanels coupled individually to saidscenerycarrier, said panels being removable individually from saidcarrier.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, a vehicle or car, amovable-scenerycarrier adjacent thereto, and a plurality of disconnectedsceneryspanels imposedon said carrier and extending upwardly-therefrom.

In an apparatus of the character de- -scribed,.a vehicleorcar,.-an.endless scenery- .carrier adjacent thereto, and a pluralityof scenery-panels leach coupled detachably to said carrier.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a car, an endlessscenery-carrier running alongside of the car, a plurality ofscenerypanels adapted to be moved by the carrier alongside the car, andmeans for connecting the panels individually and detachably to thecarrier, whereby the panels may be fed to one end of the carrier anddischarged from the other end thereof.

5. In an illusion apparatus, a vehicle or car, an endlessscenery-carrying apron, supporting and driving pulleys for said apron,the axes of said pulleys being horizontal and the faces of said apronbeing in horizontal planes; and a plurality of scenery-panels movablewith the apron, said anels being coupled individually and detac ably tothe apron.

6. In an illusion apparatus, a vehicle or car, a plurality of endlessscenery-carrying aprons, the faces of each apron being in horizontalplanes, means for propelling said aprons at different speeds, and aplurality of scenery-panels for each of said aprons, said panels beingcoupled individually and detachably to their proper aprons.

7. In an illusion apparatus, a plurality of endless scenery-carryingaprons, a plurality of scenery-panels for each apron, said panels beingcoupled individually and detachablyto their proper aprons, and means forpropelling the aprons at different speeds.

8. In an apparatus of the class described, a car, a scenery-carriermovable alongside of said car, scenery-panels adapted to be loaded onsaid carrier at one end thereof and to be discharged from the carrier atthe other end, and means for returning the panels to the loading-point.

9. In an apparatus of the class described, a car, and an endlessscenery-carrier movable relative to the car, and scenery-panels havingdetachable interlocking engagement with said carrier, saidscenery-carrier having a portion thereof running in an inclined path tofacilitate the operation of loading scenerypanels thereon.

10. In an apparatus of the class described, an endless scenery-carrier,and a plurality of scenery-panels adapted to have interlockingengagement with said carrier, an end portion of said carrier beingexposed and accessible for loading said panels thereon.

11. In an apparatus of the class described,

an endless scenery-carrier, and a plurality of locking relation Withcertain of said scenery- -scenerypanels adapted to have interlockingcarriers.

I11 testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses,

